All You Know About Roof Insulation

One of the biggest factors of home energy efficiency is insulation. A large part of insulation (for your roof) lies in your attic. You can find insulation installed either on the attic floor or beneath the attic roof. The purpose of insulation is to keep the heat or cooling temperatures inside the home moderated, and not let in any external air from outside your home.

4 Signs That You Need to Upgrade or Install Attic Roof Insulation

The first thing to do is: stop using your attic as storage. The easiest way to insulate an attic is to add material to the floor. Pull up the plywood flooring and put new insulation on top of the old. Make sure you seal any gaps or areas where common air leaks may occur in your attic with fire-resistant insulating foam sealant. Next, find the best insulation material for your attic. Loose fill, Cellulose, Fiberglass, Mineral Wool, Batts, or cotton are some popular options.

Some Other Tips:

Make sure to fix any leaks beforehand. Look for any water stains on the roof sheathing, or moldy spots. 

Box out Light fixtures. Keeping lights away from insulation material is crucial. Use hardware cloth, metal flashing, or scrap plywood to create a safety gap (of 3 inches) around the lights.

Direct all exhaust fans and vents to the exterior. It's against building code to vent any kind of exhaust to an attic space.

Insulating the Rest of your Home

Aside from your attic, you also should make sure the rest of your home is properly insulated. A home should be thoroughly checked for cracks or poorly insulated walls from the attic, all the way down to the foundation. This includes all exterior walls, walls between living spaces and unheated garages, shed roofs, or storage areas, foundation walls above ground level, and foundation walls in heated basements. Make sure to caulk and seal around all windows and doors. You should also consider the moisture and leakage control in every space of your home.